Native plants for a Cape Cod garden

It’s labor day and the weather isn’t half bad actually – the sun has been able to penetrate the cloud cover and we got a nice beach day out of it on the bay. Ever since Irene hit, however, there is a distinct fall feel and smell in the air – it’s much colder at night and the leaves have started coloring to a distinct rusty tint, and many have let go and fallen to the ground. I’m not sure if this is a tropical storm induced fall (salt spray and wind as the cause?), or if this is the normal course of events regardless of the storm system that went by. Some of the osprey chicks are still around, and the hummingbirds are visiting the feeder daily, still. This time last year they had departed for more southern locales. The turtleheads and asters have not started blooming yet, either. The butterflies are no longer around – I fear that Irene tore them to shreds, but I hope that some of them made it around the eye to safer ground. I’m not quite ready to let go of summer but as usual the planetary clock does not care.